This invention relates to improved fasteners such as Velcro fasteners having a locking capability, and to a method of securing and unsecuring contact fasteners. Contact fasteners such as those making use of hook and loop fastener materials as in Velcro fasteners possess the disadvantage of becoming loosened should an inadvertent pull occur upon an elements carrying fastener material.
Attempts have been made to increase the versatility of Velcro fasteners which have included the use of hinged members. The following prior U.S. Pat. Nos. illustrate the state of the art: 3,543,977; 3,827,107; 3,947,927; 4,862,563; and 4,893,381.
The locking fastener and method hereof may be utilized as a fastening device and method in the device of my copending United States patent application entitled RESTRAINING AND PROTECTIVE DEVICE AND METHOD, filed Apr. 10, 1992, and bearing Ser. No. 07/866,973.
Accordingly, an important object of this invention is to provide an improved fastener such as a Velcro fastener and the like, with a locking feature and a method for applying and releasing the locking action.
Another important object of this invention is to provide a Velcro fastener and the like having at least one hinged locking fastener member which is free except for fixation at the hinge while a second movable fastener member having opposed fastener material is carried opposite the hinged members.
The invention contemplates the provision of a Velcro fastener having a hinged member carried in fixed relation to a movable member each member having opposed respective fastener material so that when an attempt is made to pull outwardly on the second member, the hinged member is pulled outwardly against the hinge so as to avoid action tending to release the second strap member except by peeling away the hinged member releasing same.
By utilizing the method of the present invention, the free strap member may be pulled outwardly carried with a free end of the hinge member which facilitates the peeling away of the hinge member with release of the Velcro fastener.